If you were in any doubt we're in the future, allow me to introduce you to the 'Jet Suit Paramedic'.
Pictures probably speak louder than words with this one, so check it out below:
Forget regular ambulances and even air ambulance helicopters, because the Jet Suit Paramedic won't need to rely on clunky vehicles to get around.
Instead, as you've probably worked out by now, paramedics will be able to utilise futuristic jet suits to quickly respond to emergencies, specifically in remote areas.
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Footage of one of the suits in action has been shared by the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), which has been able to put the nifty suits to the test thanks to a collaboration with Gravity Industries. No, that isn't one of Tony Stark's new ventures - it's actually a real jet suit company.
The suit could be used first in the Lake District, where it will allow paramedics to push 'the boundaries of emergency response'.
Unlike helicopters, which can struggle to land in the peaks and valleys of the national park, the jet suit can be used to get medical care to a patient within a matter of seconds.
Testing for the suit has taken place at Langdale Pikes in the Lake District, where Gravity Industries founder Richard Browning flew from the bottom of a valley to a simulated casualty site on The Band, near Bowfell.
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By foot, it would have taken paramedics 25 minutes to reach the patient.
Thanks to the jet suit, the travel time only took 90 seconds.
Andy Mawson, director of operations and paramedic at GNAAS, explained: “We could see the need. What we didn’t know for sure is how this would work in practice. Well, we’ve seen it now, and it is, quite honestly, awesome.”
While the suit is undeniably useful, it's hard to ignore the fact it looks like something straight out of a video game or movie.
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A lot of people were quick to make that connection after coming across the footage of the test, with many likening it to a scene from Grand Theft Auto.
"POV: it’s 2004 and you’re playing GTA San Andreas ready to go up Mt Chilliad. L1, L2, R1, R2, UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, L1, L2, R1, R2, UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT," one viewer commented.
Another wrote, "What in the GTA San Andreas is this," while a third added: "Using the jet pack cheat to fly up Mount Chiliad on San Andreas."
If there's one good reason for a video game to become reality, it's saving lives.
Topics: Technology, Viral
Emily Brown